Who doesn't want a feel-good home?
A free book from Drew Tozer! A first Most Vibrant Podcast! A lot of nosy questions from Sarah!
Hello Most Vibrant People,
’What new things and foods and ideas and slang and dance classes should I be trying?’ is a run-on question I often ask myself. So today, a new thing: a podcasty video chat. Drew Tozer is the guy behind Foundry Heat Pumps, and he’s just written a book called Feel-Good Homes. The goal of his book: to help you get to know and understand your house so you can make it more comfortable — by weatherizing, getting a heat pump, and learning how to talk heat pump with your contractor.
If you’re in Ontario, Drew will mail you his book for free. If you’re anywhere else in the world, you can download a PDF for free.
I always want to understand my home more deeply (when do I need to clean the eavestroughs? what’s an eavestrough?), and yet I rarely make the time. But time is on my mind, after learning from Drew’s book that we spend an average of 70% of our lives in our homes (omg, she screams from the blue velvet couch she never leaves). Given that multi-decadal sofa suck, we might as well make our homes as cozy as can be. The fact that making our homes more comfortable provides huge planetary benefit is just the world’s perfect bonus. As climate communicators know, we must sell the benefits that are NOT climate: cozyiness, comfort, control, health, ease, delight, coolness, and the ability to whiz by people stuck in traffic when you are actively transporting yourself to and fro.
Nerdy things I wanted to ask Drew about: The best way to explain what a heat pump is (his answer is 🤌!), what makes a feel-good home, the fabric first trap, and his thoughts on why to electrify (it’s. just. better.).
This pod is a tiny MVP of an experiment to see if folks like absorbing information in this way. It is has been very minimally edited. Let me know your thoughts in the survey below!
Show notes:
00:00 Intro and random pleasantries
03:32 The Importance of Feel Good Homes
06:06 Understanding Indoor Air Quality
09:17 Future Proofing Your Home
11:58 Demand for Heat Pumps
15:01 Challenges in HVAC and Contractor Expertise
17:55 Sarah is obsessed with Fabric First
20:58 Explaining Heat Pumps
23:37 Conclusion: Electric stuff is just better. People will choose it…Cool!
Takeaways
The average person spends 70-90% (55 years!) of their time indoors, making home comfort crucial.
Heat pumps can significantly reduce emissions, even for those not motivated by climate change. (70-80% in Ontario, where the grid is pretty darn clean…now!)
Future-proofing homes through electrification offers energy independence.
Indoor air quality is primarily about source control, not just ventilation. (Metaphor about manure courtesy Joe Lstiburek)
Homeowners often prioritize cost over quality in HVAC choices, impacting long-term comfort. Which is only human.
The building envelope is important, but electrification can still provide substantial benefits. IE The Fabric First convo! (Sarah believes in fabric first but only to a point, because her house is made of cheesecloth).
Heat pumps are a better consumer product compared to traditional gas appliances. And getting better every day.
The electrification movement is gaining momentum, driven by consumer demand for better stuff. Electric stuff is just better. So even if people don’t care about climate, they’ll wanna buy the better things.
A collaborative approach between contractors and homeowners can enhance the HVAC ecosystem.
Housekeeping + thanks
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People dancing (always)
Loafers and moves.
Hope you are happy and healthy as can be in this vibrant if vibrating world,
Sarah
lol, I would 💯 listen to Between Two Tozers
I tried to send this as a direct message but it wouldn't send
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